How to Propagate an Umbrella Tree
The umbrella tree, Magnolia tripetala, gets its name from the large leaves that cluster at the tips of the branches forming an umbrella shape. It is a native of the south and central areas of the United States. This mid-sized tree grows 15 to 30 feet tall with a spreading canopy 15 to 30 feet wide. It is well suited as a specimen tree in the landscape or near a patio where it can provide shade. Propagating an umbrella tree is an inexpensive and fun way to share your garden with friends and fellow horticulturists. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Pruning shears
- 8-inch pot
- Peat moss
- Perlite or sand
- Hormone rooting compound
- 12-inch dowel
- Clear plastic bag
- Rubber band
- 12-inch pot
- Potting soil
- Shovel
Instructions
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Cut a 5-inch branch tip from a mature healthy umbrella tree. Select a branch from the current season's growth. Make the cut at a 45-degree angle, just below a leaf node. Take the cutting in the summer.
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Remove the leaves from the bottom portion of the cutting leaving three leaves at the tip of the umbrella tree cutting. Pinch the leaves off with your fingernails or clip them close to the branch with a pair of sharp shears.
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Fill an 8-inch pot with a mixture of equal parts perlite and peat moss, or perlite and coarse sand. Premixed sterile mediums for starting cuttings are also available at home and garden stores.
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Roll the cut end of the umbrella tree cutting in hormone rooting compound. Hormone rooting compound is available in both liquid and powder form at home and garden stores.
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Slid the cutting into the soil medium in the center of the pot so that the bottom half of the cutting is below the soil line. Soak the pot with water until it drains from the holes in the bottom.
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Slide a 12-inch dowel into the soil medium at the edge of the pot. Take a clear plastic bag and place it upside down over the lip of the pot to create a mini greenhouse around the umbrella tree cutting. Fasten the plastic bag with a rubber band and punch one to two air holes in the plastic.
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Place the cutting in an area that gets filtered, indirect light, where the temperature is between 75 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Pull off the plastic once or twice a week, when the top of the soil feels dry, soak the pot and replace the plastic. The cutting will root in six to eight weeks.
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Remove the plastic bag when the cutting takes root. Give a gentle tug on the umbrella tree cutting to see if the roots have developed. Place the pot in a greenhouse or indoors where the temperature will remain above 70 degrees Fahrenheit for the first fall and winter. Keep the soil damp by soaking the pot when the top 1/2 inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
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Transplant the umbrella tree cutting into a 12-inch pot filled with standard potting soil in the spring. Slide the cutting out of the starter pot and plant it in the new pot at the same depth it was in its old pot. Place the pot outdoors in dappled shade as long as the weather is above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. In colder weather bring the cutting indoors.
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Plant your umbrella tree into the landscape in the spring of the second year. Select a location that gets full sun and has loamy or sandy soil with good drainage.
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Tips & Warnings
Umbrella trees thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10.
References
- University of Connecticut Plant Database: Magnolia tripetala
- University of Florida IFAS Extension Program: Landscape Propagation Information
- Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Magnolia tripetala - Umbrella Magnolia
- United States Department of Agriculture Plant Profile: Magnolia tripetala
- North Carolina State University: Plant Propagation by Stem Cuttings
